The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday launched a new initiative – Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karykram (JSSK) – to provide completely free and cashless services to pregnant women. The initiative is expected to cover more than one crore pregnant women and newborns.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched the national initiative at Mandi Khera in Mewat district of Haryana. Gandhi noted that tremendous improvement in health care services has occurred under the initiative of National Rural health Mission started since 2005 and the new initiative is but a step further in ensuring better facilities for women and child health services. She hoped that States would come forward and ensure that benefits under JSSK would reach every needy pregnant woman coming to government institutional facility.

The new initiative of JSSK would provide completely free and cashless services to pregnant women including normal deliveries and caesarean operations and sick new born (up to 30 days after birth) in Government health institutions in both rural and urban areas. The new JSSK initiative is estimated to benefit more than one crore pregnant women & newborns who access public health institutions every year in both urban & rural areas, said an official release here.

The Free Entitlements under JSSK would include: Free and Cashless Delivery, Free C-Section, Free treatment of sick-new-born up to 30 days, Exemption from User Charges, Free Drugs and Consumables, Free Diagnostics, Free Diet during stay in the health institutions – 3 days in case of normal delivery and 7 days in case of caesarean section, Free Provision of Blood, Free Transport from Home to Health Institutions, Free Transport between facilities in case of referral as also Drop Back from Institutions to home after 48hrs stay. Free Entitlements for Sick newborns till 30 days after birth similarly include Free treatment, Free drugs and consumables, Free diagnostics, Free provision of blood, Exemption from user charges, Free Transport from Home to Health Institutions, Free Transport between facilities in case of referral and Free drop Back from Institutions to home.

Speaking on the occasion the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad stated that the number of institutional deliveries, a key determinant of maternal mortality, has increased from seven lakhs (2005-06) to more than a crore (2010-11). One of the significant activities for saving the lives of the mother and also the infant is provision of quality ante-natal and post-natal services, he noted. The Minister informed that more than Rs 1100 crores have been provided to the States for drugs, diet and ambulances under NRHM during 2011-12. He asked the States to widely publicize the new JSSK entitlements, display them prominently in all Government facilities, put entitlements in public domain, and institute a grievance redressal mechanism for ensuring that the commitments are fulfilled in letter and spirit.

JSSK supplements the cash assistance given to a pregnant woman under Janani Suraksha Yojana and is aimed at mitigating the burden of out of pocket expenses incurred by pregnant women and sick newborns. Besides it would be a major factor in enhancing access to public health institutions and help bring down the Maternal Mortality and Infant mortality rates. Presently it is noted that, out of pocket expenses and user charges for transport, admission, diagnostic tests, medicines and consumables, caesarean operation are being incurred by pregnant women and their families even in the case of institutional deliveries.